Skills Needed For Cyber Security Career

Skills Needed For Cyber Security

Let’s face it, the rate of data/information shared online has increased dramatically in recent years. More and more businesses are moving online, shifting to cloud storage. Someone needs to protect these pieces of information. The need for skilled professionals who can help secure these pieces of information has been on the rise; cybersecurity is currently in high demand. And, of course, organizations recognize the necessity of their security personnel to remain up to date.

Pursuing a career in cybersecurity is a good option. Professionals in cybersecurity should be able to possess a diverse and rich skillset. In this post, we will look at skills needed for cyber security. 

Before we go into that, let us look at what cybersecurity is, its requirements, and lots more. 

What Exactly Is Cybersecurity?

Cyber security is the application of technologies, processes, and controls to protect data, networks, devices, systems, and programs from cyber attacks.

Let’s take a look at this scenario.

Meet James; he loves to shop online. He considers this an easy and fast way to get what he needs. He has his information, such as an address, email ID, and credit card details, saved on the website he buys things from to enable a faster and stress-free shopping experience.  

The required information is stored on a server. One day, James received an email that stated his eligibility for a 50% special discount voucher from the website he shops from.  

To receive his coupon code, he was asked to fill in his account credentials. This didn’t look fishy to him as he thought it was just an account verification step. 

Little did he know the danger he would be facing. He was shocked when a substantial amount of money was swiped out of his account. 

How do you think this happened?

The email he received was fake, and the website he shops from was attacked by a third party. This type of attack is known as a cyber attack, and the person who carries it out is known as a hacker. 

Could James have prevented this attack? He could have of course, with the help of cybersecurity! Cybersecurity involves securing various digital components, data, networks, and computer systems from unauthorized digital access. There are multiple ways to use cybersecurity depending on the kind of cyber attack and network you are connected to. 

So let’s look at the various kinds of cyberattacks that James could have been exposed to. 

Types Of Cyber Attack 

1. Malware Attack 

Malware uses defenselessness to breach a network when a user clicks a “planted” dangerous link or email attachment, which is used to install malicious software inside the system.

This malware and a malicious data file in a computer system can be used to acquire data by retrieving data from the hard drive, disrupting the system, or even used to deny access to critical components of the network. 

2. Phishing attacks

This is the type of attack James experienced. Here, the hacker usually sends an email that appears to be coming from a legitimate source. 

This is done to install malware or steal sensitive data such as credit card details and login credentials. 

3. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks 

This is also called MitM. Here, the hacker gains access to the information path between the user and the website server. 

The hacker’s computer takes over the user’s IP address. Doing so allows the hacker to intercept the communication between the user and the website secretly. This commonly happens with an unsecured wifi network and also through malware. 

Who Needs Cyber Security?

Everyone. Yes, everyone that is connected to the Internet needs cyber security. Most cyber-attacks are automated, and the main goal is to exploit common vulnerabilities rather than certain websites or organizations. 

Why is cyber security important?

 1. Cyber attacks are increasingly sophisticated

 The rate of cyber-attacks has increased dramatically over the years. Hackers/attackers continue to use various methods to exploit people’s information, such as malware, social engineering, and ransomware. 

2. Cloud Storage Needs Protection

We now save sensitive information such as bank details and passwords on the cloud, which increases our risk of theft. Small businesses, large organizations, and even governments are all at high risk of being targeted for cybercrime. This is one of the reasons why cybersecurity is very important. 

3. It could help save lots of money

 Research has shown that the world generally loses up to $1 trillion to cybercrime. Research also show that there had been a sharp increase in information breaches, personal data, trade secrets, financial information, health records, and intellectual property. 

Skills needed for a career in cyber security

Becoming an expert in the cyber security requires you to possess some particular skills. The skills needed to succeed in the cybersecurity world include having technical knowledge, critical and logical thinking, and other specific cybersecurity skills and key soft skills in demand by employers. 

With that in mind, if you are looking to pursue a career in cybersecurity, here are some of the skills you’ll need to exhibit.

1. Knowledge of Operating Systems and Virtual Machines

As a cybersecurity professional, you must possess a strong understanding of operating environments, including Mac OS, Linux, and Windows. As a cybersecurity expert, you have to get comfortable working on any OS. You can train and conduct research in an isolated environment with VMs, which can help you develop your skills. 

2. Coding

Not having any knowledge in coding will limit your cybersecurity opportunities as time goes on. We, therefore, recommend you learn a few coding languages such as HTML, Python, PHP, JavaScript, SQL, Assembly language, C, and C++. 

3. Technical Skills

Cyber Security is a focused technology field, so you will most likely be tasked with maintaining, troubleshooting, updating information security systems, and providing real-time security solutions. 

Being techy savvy is vital to perform the daily activities of cybersecurity professionals. Cybersecurity certifications are essential to showing the level of knowledge of cybersecurity professionals. 

Some of the important certifications include the following: 

● Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (CISSP-ISSAP)

● OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional)

● CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

● Information Systems Security Management Professional (CISSP-ISSMP)

● Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (CISSP-ISSEP)

● GCIH (GIAC Certified Incident Handler)

● Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) 

4. Blockchain Security

Blockchain has gained lots of popularity over the years, thanks to its security level. Cyber security professionals must become familiarized with blockchain and how it handles security issues. 

Blockchain’s complex nature makes it difficult for hackers to compromise. Before a cybercriminal can corrupt or destroy a blockchain, they would have to terminate the data found on each user’s computer connected to the targeted global network. 

5. Implementation Skills

A competent cyber security professional understands how to examine a company’s security setup from a holistic view, such as threat modeling, vulnerability assessment, implementation, testing, and specifications. 

In addition, they know security issues related to operating systems, networking, and virtualization software. 

Conclusion 

Cyber Security is a very big market looking for trained experts to help companies secure data, networks, and systems. You can become a cyber security expert by taking up an online course and keeping in mind all the points listed above.